17 days to split between Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Indo - Raja Ampat, Komodo or Bali??

[AlMitch]

On the whole Luko's itinerary is pretty solid!! As a surfer and diver I would make a few suggestions / comments.

1) The only place that offers both good surf and good diving is Nusa Lembongan. So possibly spend a few extra days there.
2) Lombok does have some great waves, but other than Desert Point (which is world class BUT is really isolated) the waves in Bali are typically better. Lombok is slightly more off the beaten track though so...it may be slightly less crowded...but only slightly. So if you want to drop one leg I would suggest dropping the Lombok leg and just spend more time in Bali, specifically around the Uluwatu area.
3) For the Komodo, I have not heard of any surf in the area, but this is where the diving is amazing. Try and see if you can get on one of the cheaper of the live-aboards. I'm pretty sure the long daily commutes from LBJ to the dives sites will get tiresome. So just splash out a bit on the Live-aboard.

 

[Maverick17]

Seems Luko and Mitch know much more than me, I'd definitely stick with their recommends mine was very general. But this surprised me:

Penang was a good idea but when you finish with S'pore it's not worth getting up here just for food

I'm not a foodie or a surfer, and a bad diver to boot. But I do travel a lot and this is the first time I've ever heard someone say don't go to Penang. I always here from self proclaimed foodies it is "the" place to visit in Asia for food. I didn't really like it that well on my visit long ago, to tell the truth. I do love Singapore and would rather spend my time there than in Penang anyway if choosing among those two.

 

[Luko]

I'm not a foodie or a surfer, and a bad diver to boot. But I do travel a lot and this is the first time I've ever heard someone say don't go to Penang. I always here from self proclaimed foodies it is "the" place to visit in Asia for food. I didn't really like it that well on my visit long ago, to tell the truth. I do love Singapore and would rather spend my time there than in Penang anyway if choosing among those two

May be this needs to be tempered down.
First I didn't say I didn't like Penang (been three times each time for a couple of days, hence there is something I value at least or am I being masochistic?), Penang is nice cultural place to wander when staying in one of these amazing chinese heritage hotels that bring you back almost a century ago (or at the E&O if you want to give yourself a treat), the streetfood scene is pretty decent too.

However just for SEAsian food Singapore probably hosts the best array of different cuisines, especially when it's your first time in SEA,
I am not sure you'll be able to enjoy the differences between the original spicier char kuay teow from Penang and the other smoky tasting ones, the sour Penang laksa or the Borneo laksa, all those you can get in Changi village or Lau Pat Sat hawkers (Singapore) or even in KL on Alor street foodstalls.

I wrote it was a good idea but not worth going if Singapore was already planned and the time constraint is only this stretch. secondly going to Penang takes an additional flight, more money and time, KL is a nice landing point since the AirAsia hub allows flying lots of places at lowcost so for a few reasons, I don't think spending two days In Penang would be worth it in THIS case.

Talking about "foody places" and despite the hype, I am not sure Penang would be up in Asia to the vast array of dishes you can get in Singapore, Hanoi, HCM or HongKong. I would take it on the same level as Ubud (less authentic more fusionlike but quite innovative), Hue (Ok I have a knack with VN food) or ChiangMai... (and I have yet to go to Taipei, Japan or many other chinese cities).

 

[Luko]

2) Lombok does have some great waves, but other than Desert Point (which is world class BUT is really isolated) the waves in Bali are typically better. Lombok is slightly more off the beaten track though so...it may be slightly less crowded...but only slightly. So if you want to drop one leg I would suggest dropping
the Lombok leg and just spend more time in Bali, specifically around the Uluwatu area.

Almitch, I am not a surfer so your advice will be always much better than mine in this respect.

However I am surprized you say Lombok is only worth for one wave and that it's difficult to get the areas : at the time I thought i was a travel photographer, going to more or less remote villages all over Indonesia and taking people pictures, I remember Gerupuk village nearby Kuta Lombok there were kids leading some few adventurous surfers (at the time) quite excited with the waves. I have also been told about Mawi which was a little further away.
At least there are places where you won't have to fight for your wave. But again, I am not able to say anything more.

I'm pretty sure the long daily commutes from LBJ to the dives sites will get tiresome. So just splash out a bit on the Live-aboard.

Not so much when the dive center can provide a speedboat ride to Batu Bolong in 30minutes .
Some people might say I might be overselling this center in LBJ but it's really the most accomdating and enjoyable I found in in 3 stays in Komodo, plus at affordable rates.

 

[Maverick17]

May be this needs to be tempered down.

I was not criticizing nor saying you didn't like it. Just commenting on my surprise.

 

[Luko]

I was not criticizing nor saying you didn't like it. Just commenting on my surprise.

Yes, yes I understood it likewise.
Somehow I wanted to clarify why I didn't pick Penang in the itinerary I proposed although I think I may have kept this idea for a longer trip like one month.
OTOH I also think Penang reputation needs to be compared to other "foodie hubs" in Asia, it's like people craving about some exotic wine destinations... in the end I still find the array of french wines larger and better.

 

[AlMitch]

However I am surprized you say Lombok is only worth for one wave and that it's difficult to get the areas : at the time I thought i was a travel photographer, going to more or less remote villages all over Indonesia and taking people pictures, I remember Gerupuk village nearby Kuta Lombok there were kids leading some few adventurous surfers (at the time) quite excited with the waves. I have also been told about Mawi which was a little further away.
At least there are places where you won't have to fight for your wave. But again, I am not able to say anything more.

Gerupuk and the even more remote surf spot called Ekas (in the next big bay east) are both decent waves on their day, BUT not in the same league as say the stretch of reef from Uluwatu to Padang Padang to Bingin. I didn't manage to surf Mawi so cant comment, but we did get down to the beach there and it is a beautiful area.
In pure wave quality terms Bali is definitely much better, but you are 100% correct you will need to fight more for your waves than in Lombok....that said when we pitched up at Gerupuk the one day it was PACKED!! We then took the long trip to outside Ekas and had it to ourselves 2 days in a row!

You will get waves regardless if you go to Bali or south Lombok. Enjoy the adventure!

Onto diving, if you are in the South of Lombok you could do a days diving out at the Magnet / Catherdral, check out Dive Zone Dive Resort.

 

[Nevek]

Keep the comments coming folks!

Should I stick with the spots mentioned previously or is it worth trying to fit the Mentaweis in?

As for the crowds I would honestly rather sacrifice some wave quality for smaller crowds. Although I consider myself to be a good/advanced surfer, I will also have my wife in tow who is very much a beginner. I'm not expecting her to paddle into the main lineups but if we had some smaller sandbar breaks that would be great.

 

[AlMitch]

Bro you need to decide if this is a surf or diving holiday!
The Ments are as good as it gets in terms of surfing...as you know. BUT it will take you at least a full day if not two to get from Bali to the Ments depending on connections and ferry times.
If your are more interested in surf then you could do 1 week in the mentawei & then one week + in Bali/ Lembonagn. While in Lembongan you could do the odd few dives.

If diving is more important then ignore the Ments and follow the advice above.

If you are looking for nice chilled waves have a look at the Dreeamland/ Balangan area in Bali. Or right up the NW side at Medewi, a nice long, chilled, left point.

Indo is crowded! So try banish any thoughts of empty perfection! That does not tend to happen anymore!

 

[Nevek]

Bro you need to decide if this is a surf or diving holiday!
The Ments are as good as it gets in terms of surfing...as you know. BUT it will take you at least a full day if not two to get from Bali to the Ments depending on connections and ferry times.
If your are more interested in surf then you could do 1 week in the mentawei & then one week + in Bali/ Lembonagn. While in Lembongan you could do the odd few dives.

If diving is more important then ignore the Ments and follow the advice above.

If you are looking for nice chilled waves have a look at the Dreeamland/ Balangan area in Bali. Or right up the NW side at Medewi, a nice long, chilled, left point.

Indo is crowded! So try banish any thoughts of empty perfection! That does not tend to happen anymore!

Gah! You're right! Just hate the fact that I'm traveling all the way from Florida in the US and getting so close to these spots but not going!

I'll stick with the previous advice. My wife will enjoy the diving more than the surf. Time to start booking flights!